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Article: Chancellor under attack as Tories turn the spotlight on Labour plans for '20 per cent VAT'
- Article from:
- The Scotsman
- Article date:
- November 27, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2008 The Scotsman. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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ALISTAIR Darling yesterday faced accusations that the government
had considered raising VAT to as much as 20 per cent to plug a
"black hole" in the economy which the Conservatives claim will be
deepened by his GBP 20 billion emergency Budget.
The Chancellor came under attack after Treasury documents were
unearthed showing ministers had a plan to raise VAT to 18.5 per cent
in 2011, rather than hold it at the present rate of 17.5 per cent.
David Cameron, the Tory leader, threatened to use the Freedom of
Information Act to discover if there had been plans to raise VAT
even higher.
A 13-month cut in VAT, taking it to 15 per cent, starts on Monday
as part of the GBP 20 billion "fiscal ...